Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt
From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.digest
Subject: Re: Intelligent Nanocomputers
Message-ID: <2640@dciem.UUCP>
Date: 11 Feb 88 18:04:41 GMT
Article-I.D.: dciem.2640
Posted: Thu Feb 11 13:04:41 1988
References: <8801180618.AA08132@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <724@zippy.eecs.umich.edu> <2152@unicus.UUCP>
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 21
Summary: 


> ... such a machine could then just be allowed to run, and
>should be able to accomplish a century of progress in one hour.

I think we already do that, and have over the course of evolution managed
such a speedup several times.  No reason why it shouldn't happen again.
The building of structure (information, organization ...) is recursive.
The more you have, the easier it is to get more (a bit like money, come
to think of it, and for much the same reason).  BUT...humans will not
participate in this greatly augmented progress, any more than green algae
participate in human progress (except perhaps to be damaged by the side-
effects, analogous to pollution and destruction of habitat with which
we destroy those that have not shared our "progress").
-- 

Martin Taylor
...uunet!{mnetor|utzoo}!dciem!mmt
mmt@zorac.arpa
Magic is just advanced technology ... so is intelligence.  Before computers,
the ability to do arithmetic was proof of intelligence.  What proves
intelligence now?  Obviously, it is what we can do that computers can't.